1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to digging buckets, such as back hoe buckets, which include shanks secured to the bucket and to teeth or caps which fit over the shanks and are secured to the shanks by pins and, more particularly, to a tool for inserting and removing the pins to secure and to remove the teeth or caps to or from the shanks.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 1,355,174 (Shepard) discloses a cotter pin extractor tool. The cotter pin extractor tool includes a pair of relatively pointed tip elements for making contact with cotter pins, and an offset portion, between the tips, for receiving hammer blows for extracting the cotter pins. One of the tips may be used to spread apart or to straighten the tip of cotter pins, while the other tip is used primarily to hook the eye of a cotter pin for extracting the pin.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,089,902 (Kulp) discloses a valve guide driver in which the body of the tool is offset from the handle of the tool. The handle is impacted by a hammer rod to drive a valve guide into its bore.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,359,677 (Reeves) discloses an impact tool for removing various types of elements from a shaft. The apparatus includes a working end offset from the impacting portion. The impacting portion includes a relatively long shaft and a circular or enlarged end, while the working end is illustrated in several different embodiments. The working end is offset from the shaft and the enlarged portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,860,408 (Woyton) discloses a muffler tail pipe removing tool which includes an elongated handle, a blade portion which is substantially perpendicular to the elongated handle, and an impact striking portion adjacent to the blade portion, but offset from and generally parallel to the blade portion. The impact portion is secured to the handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,290,769 (Kashergen) discloses a tool used to change a digging tooth by the camming action of a bifurcated arm. The tool includes a handle, with an impact surface at the end of the handle. The handle and the impact or striking face is offset from the bifurcated arm. The bifurcated arm is of varying techniques to provide the camming action as the tool is driven by the impact from a hammer for removing the digging tooth.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,372 (Dupree et al) discloses an impact device for removing a key from a keyway. The tool or device includes a striking face which is parallel to, but offset from, the key removal portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,501,079 (Hahn et al) discloses a multiple cutting edge tool which includes pins and tools for removing and inserting the pins. The tool may be inverted for different uses. There is an impact surface that is parallel to the line of the tool, but offset from the actual working portion of the tool, regardless of whether the tool is inverted or not.
It is obvious that the above-described tools are very specialized tools and accordingly have limited applications. The apparatus of the present invention is also a very specialized tool and accordingly has limited application. Structurally, the apparatus of the present invention is substantially different from any of the tools discussed above, and comprises a relatively simple, but highly effective, tool for inserting and for removing pins used to secure a tooth to the shank of a bucket.
With respect to the insertion and removal of pins for the teeth and shanks of digging buckets, the prior art simply consists of pliers, such as "vise-grip" types for insertion, a drift punch of some type, and a hammer. Since the shanks are so close together, it is virtually impossible to provide a direct line of force to either insert or to remove a pin. Accordingly, a substantial amount of time is utilized in providing sufficient force in the attempts to properly insert and to remove the pins for changing the digging teeth.
The apparatus of the present invention provides a relatively simple, inexpensive, and very effective tool for inserting and removing the pins.